Resident Evil: At Death's Door
By Rod Christiansen
Jacob Kingsley slowly pulled his Beretta pistol out of his mouth. He was down to his last bullet, and even after all he'd been through, he couldn't bring himself to put it through the back of his head. He looked at his watch. 2:18 a.m., four and a half hours till dawn. Not that he ever thought he would see dawn again, he felt like his chances of staying alive at this point were slim to none. Jacob clutched himself tightly, sliding his gun back into its holster. He looked around the room and searched for a way out, and other than the door he'd come through, there was a window about five feet off the ground. That was his last resort, because windows didn't necessarily lead to safety, not now. Besides, he could always hide back in the dark room connected to this one, and hope not to be found. He was a skinny man, so he didn't think he would have any problems fitting into odd places. The moans of those monsters bouncing back and forth across the buildings of Raccoon City were continuous, such horrible lifeless sounds. Every now and then he could swear he heard a scream in the distance. Suddenly, there was a rasping on the doorknob. Something was desperately trying to get in, almost beating the door down. In a quick flash, Jacobs Beretta was back out of its holster and pointed forward in his hand. He waited for the worst.
* * * * *
On the other side of the very same door, rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy was desperately trying to get in. He'd just about given up on finding anyone; everyone he'd encountered was dead. Everyone except for the police officer he met earlier near one of the offices, who was dying, changing. What kind of police station was this? He'd come out to Raccoon City to join up as a new member on the RPD, only to find the city in ruins, and zombie creatures murdering everything and everyone that they came in contact with. He had to find a way out, but it would be a lot easier if Chief Irons hadn't been such an art buff. Leon understood that this police station had once been an art museum, but he had thought that when they renovated it into a police station they would have taken all the art displays out. The layout of the station was horribly confusing, and every door lock he came across, including this one, had some sort of a symbol on it. He hadn't been able to find any keys. Leon gave up on trying to open the door to the police dark room. He'd explored all that he could downstairs, so he decided it was time to go up and explore the second floor. That was where the STARS office was; maybe he could find some ammo or extra weapons to use against those monsters. He decided to head upstairs, so he held out his standard issue pistol and readied himself. He began to climb.
* * * * *
The rasping stopped. Jacob couldn't stop sweating, he was scared to death. He stood up shakily, eyes still on the door, finger still on the trigger. He gripped the table next to him, and looked around the room. He spied a conspicuous file on the table, and decided to look at it, if only just to get his mind off of what had happened. Plus, if he was lucky, maybe there would be some information that could help him survive. According to the file, several men had died in the station due to some unknown creature called a "licker", which attacked with a long spear-like tongue. Wonderful, another horrible thing to worry about, so much for gaining help from that file. He threw it back onto the table, and decided to hide in the back of the dark room. Jacob quietly entered the dark room in the back of the office, almost surprised to see it empty of danger. It was dark, yes, but not pitch black, the red development light was still on in the room. He walked over near the switch, and set his gun down. He was going to switch off the light, but then thought better of it. Some of these things didn't need to see him to know where he was. At that moment, Jacob felt a slight breeze wafting into the room, reminding him that the window in the office was open. If he left the window open, it would be the perfect place for someone or something to get at him. Slowly, he walked back to the office entrance. It took him a moment to realize that a shadow was now being cast across the room from the window. Frightened, Jacob craned his head to look toward the window. He could hear the disgustingly loud breathing and rasping noise that the creature had begun making, but all he could see was that long sickening tongue wrapped around the windowsill. What was worse was that Jacob had left his gun in the dark room, and to go back for it now was certainly death. Everything happened in slow motion. Jacob darted for the door, hearing the strange creature leap through the window and land directly behind him. He got a quick look at it from the corner of its eye; the creature's body was inside out. Jacob saw his hand reaching for the doorknob, felt himself turning it, and heard the lock pop out. Seconds later, the door was open and he was flinging himself out of it, hearing the creature mad with rage as he slammed the door closed. He was full of adrenaline and something had overcome him, he couldn't stop now. Jacob started running up the stairs and down the second floor hallways. He had to find a safe place, he just had to, there was one somewhere he was sure. He flew past the door for the STARS office, rounded the corner, and tried the door to the break room. It was locked. He stupidly rationalized to himself in his moment of adrenaline and fear, that if the door was locked, then nothing would possibly be in there. He had to get in. Jacob spied a small hole in the wall next to the door and gave a desperate heave of excitement as he got down on his hands and knees to crawl through it. It was the worst and last mistake of his life. As he crawled through the hole into the break room, Jacob was ripped off the floor by a creature that resembled a human. He stared transfixed at the whiteness of its eyes and the eroded look of its face as it painfully gripped his shoulders. Its smell was putrid and dead. Jacob was quickly surrounded by several other beasts, and didn't even hear his own muffled screams as his flesh was torn into by gnawing human teeth and his blood spilt all over the floor. He almost found it ironic that in his desperate search for safety, he had found Death's door.
* * * * *
Leon gazed at the odd unicorn medallion that he'd found on one of the desks in the STARS office. For a moment he thought that he heard a scream.
Jacob Kingsley slowly pulled his Beretta pistol out of his mouth. He was down to his last bullet, and even after all he'd been through, he couldn't bring himself to put it through the back of his head. He looked at his watch. 2:18 a.m., four and a half hours till dawn. Not that he ever thought he would see dawn again, he felt like his chances of staying alive at this point were slim to none. Jacob clutched himself tightly, sliding his gun back into its holster. He looked around the room and searched for a way out, and other than the door he'd come through, there was a window about five feet off the ground. That was his last resort, because windows didn't necessarily lead to safety, not now. Besides, he could always hide back in the dark room connected to this one, and hope not to be found. He was a skinny man, so he didn't think he would have any problems fitting into odd places. The moans of those monsters bouncing back and forth across the buildings of Raccoon City were continuous, such horrible lifeless sounds. Every now and then he could swear he heard a scream in the distance. Suddenly, there was a rasping on the doorknob. Something was desperately trying to get in, almost beating the door down. In a quick flash, Jacobs Beretta was back out of its holster and pointed forward in his hand. He waited for the worst.
* * * * *
On the other side of the very same door, rookie cop Leon S. Kennedy was desperately trying to get in. He'd just about given up on finding anyone; everyone he'd encountered was dead. Everyone except for the police officer he met earlier near one of the offices, who was dying, changing. What kind of police station was this? He'd come out to Raccoon City to join up as a new member on the RPD, only to find the city in ruins, and zombie creatures murdering everything and everyone that they came in contact with. He had to find a way out, but it would be a lot easier if Chief Irons hadn't been such an art buff. Leon understood that this police station had once been an art museum, but he had thought that when they renovated it into a police station they would have taken all the art displays out. The layout of the station was horribly confusing, and every door lock he came across, including this one, had some sort of a symbol on it. He hadn't been able to find any keys. Leon gave up on trying to open the door to the police dark room. He'd explored all that he could downstairs, so he decided it was time to go up and explore the second floor. That was where the STARS office was; maybe he could find some ammo or extra weapons to use against those monsters. He decided to head upstairs, so he held out his standard issue pistol and readied himself. He began to climb.
* * * * *
The rasping stopped. Jacob couldn't stop sweating, he was scared to death. He stood up shakily, eyes still on the door, finger still on the trigger. He gripped the table next to him, and looked around the room. He spied a conspicuous file on the table, and decided to look at it, if only just to get his mind off of what had happened. Plus, if he was lucky, maybe there would be some information that could help him survive. According to the file, several men had died in the station due to some unknown creature called a "licker", which attacked with a long spear-like tongue. Wonderful, another horrible thing to worry about, so much for gaining help from that file. He threw it back onto the table, and decided to hide in the back of the dark room. Jacob quietly entered the dark room in the back of the office, almost surprised to see it empty of danger. It was dark, yes, but not pitch black, the red development light was still on in the room. He walked over near the switch, and set his gun down. He was going to switch off the light, but then thought better of it. Some of these things didn't need to see him to know where he was. At that moment, Jacob felt a slight breeze wafting into the room, reminding him that the window in the office was open. If he left the window open, it would be the perfect place for someone or something to get at him. Slowly, he walked back to the office entrance. It took him a moment to realize that a shadow was now being cast across the room from the window. Frightened, Jacob craned his head to look toward the window. He could hear the disgustingly loud breathing and rasping noise that the creature had begun making, but all he could see was that long sickening tongue wrapped around the windowsill. What was worse was that Jacob had left his gun in the dark room, and to go back for it now was certainly death. Everything happened in slow motion. Jacob darted for the door, hearing the strange creature leap through the window and land directly behind him. He got a quick look at it from the corner of its eye; the creature's body was inside out. Jacob saw his hand reaching for the doorknob, felt himself turning it, and heard the lock pop out. Seconds later, the door was open and he was flinging himself out of it, hearing the creature mad with rage as he slammed the door closed. He was full of adrenaline and something had overcome him, he couldn't stop now. Jacob started running up the stairs and down the second floor hallways. He had to find a safe place, he just had to, there was one somewhere he was sure. He flew past the door for the STARS office, rounded the corner, and tried the door to the break room. It was locked. He stupidly rationalized to himself in his moment of adrenaline and fear, that if the door was locked, then nothing would possibly be in there. He had to get in. Jacob spied a small hole in the wall next to the door and gave a desperate heave of excitement as he got down on his hands and knees to crawl through it. It was the worst and last mistake of his life. As he crawled through the hole into the break room, Jacob was ripped off the floor by a creature that resembled a human. He stared transfixed at the whiteness of its eyes and the eroded look of its face as it painfully gripped his shoulders. Its smell was putrid and dead. Jacob was quickly surrounded by several other beasts, and didn't even hear his own muffled screams as his flesh was torn into by gnawing human teeth and his blood spilt all over the floor. He almost found it ironic that in his desperate search for safety, he had found Death's door.
* * * * *
Leon gazed at the odd unicorn medallion that he'd found on one of the desks in the STARS office. For a moment he thought that he heard a scream.